The owner of a Belfast brewery has reflected on taking over the running of an iconic city centre bar.
It was announced last month that Boundary Brewery would be operating the John Hewitt Pub with the Belfast Unemployed Resource Centre retaining ownership of the pub.
The John Hewitt on Donegall Street, which is named after the famous Belfast poet, first opened its doors in December 1999, and is well-known for its traditional feel and regular live music offering.
Read more: Local brewery to take over running of iconic Belfast city centre bar
Boundary is a community co-operative that first opened eight years ago at Portview Trade Centre on the Newtownards Road in East Belfast. Earlier this year, they announced plans to open their first permanent taproom on the site after years of pop-up events.
The brewery's owner, Matthew Dick, told Belfast Live accepting the opportunity to operate the iconic bar was a "no brainer" for him.
"The chairman here is the chairman at Portview so there was a connection there. Before he finished asking us, I think I almost bit his hand off because it's the John Hewitt, it's iconic," he said.
"The name and reputation it has, and the reputation of the furnishings - it's famous in Belfast. But also for us from a beer point of view, it was a no-brainer, the pub has always had a great range of beers.
"I remember that night I was falling asleep and trying to think if there's any other bar in Belfast that I would've been any more excited about, and the answer was no.
"If I could've chosen any bar this would've been it, because I think they've done an amazing job here. I think there's shared values and a shared vision and we've seen a lot of that even in the first few weeks."
David Moore has been the General Manager of The John Hewitt for more than 20 years. He first started working in the pub as a dish washer while studying for his GCSEs, working in every position apart from chef.
He said in the first few weeks of Boundary operating the pub, they've received great feedback. He added that any changes have been made subtly.
David said: "We don't want to change much about the joint here, we just want to amplify its history of having a focus on good beer. We're just trying to help it grow.
"We're going to keep the good service up and get more involved with the arts and festivals, so hopefully there'll be more of a vibe about the place.
"We don't want to reinvent The John Hewitt, we're doing things slowly and listening to feedback from customers, so it's the customers that are telling us the direction of the bar. I think that's very important."
One of the biggest changes has been a shake-up of the beers on offer. Although you can still get your hands on a pint of Guinness, there are eight taps offering a rotating range of Boundary craft beers, as well as eight guest taps.
"We've changed the focus to craft beer and we have some regulars who say that's not their cup of tea. But what's very flattering is they're still very supportive of the bar, they're still wanting to come in and they're still wanting to try out the new beers," David added.
"I think that's a big tribute to The John Hewitt. We're looking forward to see what happens, the changes are very subtle but it's exciting.
"Our aim is to change the beers on tap as often as we can. People who like craft beers want to try as many different beers as they can, and we want to be the venue they can come to for that.
"To people that have supported the bar for 20 years, we don't want to turn around and say 'thanks for your custom, cheerio, we're trying something new.' I think keeping Guinness is a reflection of that."
Matthew said they're hoping the focus on craft beer will help make different beers more accessible to a wider range of people, and let people try new things.
He said: "What you're finding is you get the regulars in and their nose is a bit out of joint that the lager they drank isn't there anymore, but they knew that and they came anyway, they wanted to be here in the John Hewitt and they wanted to see the staff.
"Then they try one of our lagers and they think it's delicious. Then they realise there's 16 of these and a whole new world has opened up.
"They'll go back to drinking whatever they normally drink in other pubs, but now there's something special for them when they come here.
"We do a lot of beers that are out there, but we also do a lot of really good pale ales and lagers. It's been cool to see the regulars here embrace the new beers."
Looking towards the future, Matthew and David said they're looking forward to work together to enhance The John Hewitt, offering a wider range of musical offerings, as well as getting involved in the local arts scene more.
"It's class, we're excited, it's been a really strong start and the best is yet to come," Matthew added.
READ NEXT:
- Belfast brewery on 'dream come true' opening NI's first permanent taproom
- Over 70 NI takeaways forced to shut as bills increase
- Lebanese restaurant hoping to bring authentic flavours and culture to Belfast
- Distillery boss hits out after receiving near £11,000 monthly electricity bill
For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here. To sign up to our FREE newsletters, see here.
